George R.R. Martin’s 10 Favorite Fantasy Books

Bestselling author George R.R. Martin recently shared his list of his favorite fantasy books and we had to discuss it. So, keep reading to see what books made George R.R. Martin’s 10 favorite fantasy books and what we think of his choices!

Martin is best known for his popular A Song of Ice and Fire series which was adapted into the very successful A Game of Thrones on HBO. We won’t be discussing the ending (which ruined the whole show for me) or Martin’s inability to finish the series.

The list was shared on Goodreads and Martin said that he made this list because he receives many emails about what to read “while I am waiting for your next one.” Those fans should find a hundred or so books to read because it will be a long time. But I do appreciate Martin sharing a list to hold his fans over. You can see the full list below!

George R.R. Martin’s 10 Favorite Fantasy Books

• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
• The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
• Watership Down by Richard Adams
• The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2) by Patrick Rothfuss
• The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan the Cimmerian, #1) by Robert E. Howard
• Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
• The Gormenghast Novels (Gormenghast, #1-3) by Mervyn Peake
• The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

Starting any fantasy list off with The Lord of the Rings is a good sign. This is easily the best fantasy novel and the you see how many books it has influenced, you can see why. Authors and fans alike hold this novel in high regard and without this series, the fantasy genre would look a lot different.

If you have read A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin, then you know how gruesome and bloody it can get. The Name of the Wind and the The Kingkiller Chronicles is like that from the beginning to the end. I loved everything about this series and can see why Martin chose two books from this series for his top ten list.

I love seeing Watership Down on this list because it is a fantastic fantasy novel. While it may not fit the typical fantasy format, it is a brilliantly written novel that tells an amazing story nonetheless. Like Martin, I hold this novel in high regard and also have it high on my list of favorite fantasy novels.

While The Lord of the Ring gets credit for influencing the fantasy genre, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin doesn’t get mentioned as much as it should. This series throws the typical fantasy tropes away and instead was a fresh approach to fantasy novels. And just like Tolkien, it has and is still influencing novels today. Harry Potter borrowed ideas from this novel and we all know how popular that series is.

As I have browsed fantasy lists written by fans older fantasy novels, I have come to realize that I have gotten around to reading some that I definitely should have. Ivanhoe and Conan are two novels I will be adding to my reading list. And while I love Joe Abercrombie’s writing style, I haven’t made the time to read his other series.

Conclusion

I really liked George R.R. Martin’s 10 favorite fantasy books. He has some of my favorites as well as older classics that helped shape the genre. He is a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie and I can’t blame him. If you are trying to read more fantasy books, then this is a great list to follow. Happy reading!

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